Avoiding the spotlight. Lorne Michaels revealed Ariana Grande canceled her appearance on the upcoming Saturday Night Live season 44 premiere for “emotional reasons” after the pop star admitted she’s having a “tough month.”
“We had Ariana drop out for emotional reasons two days ago,” Michaels, 73, said on the “Origins With James Andrew Miller” podcast, released on Thursday, September 27. “That’s our premiere, and then Kanye [West] stepped up, and he’ll be there. So, the reach of the show and the number of people who will step forward is now somehow now, I think, probably at its peak.”
However, a source tells Us Weekly that while there were discussions about having the singer perform during the upcoming season, she was “was never booked to perform during this weekend’s premiere.”
Grande, 25, has recently shared a serious of cryptic messages on social media. “Can I pls have one okay day. just one. pls,” she tweeted on Thursday. “I’m so tired pls. … ty for loving me sm i do not deserve it.”
The “God Is a Woman” singer also retweeted a note she wrote on Sunday, September 22, that read, “Everything will be okay.” On Thursday, she added “j f—king k.”
After a fan reached out, Grande added that she “shouldn’t have tweeted.”
“ur angels in my life. it’s just been a tough month,” she replied. “i’m trying to get my work done and get back to normal and it’s hard and i’m human and tired. sorry i let u in or worried u. i shouldn’t have tweeted. i kno better.”
Grande’s tweets came nearly a month after her ex-boyfriend Mac Miller was found dead of an apparent drug overdose. The Nickelodeon alum, who is currently engaged to SNL star Pete Davidson, shared an emotional tribute to the late rapper on Instagram earlier this month.
“I adored you from the day i met you when i was nineteen and i always will. i can’t believe you aren’t here anymore. i really can’t wrap my head around it,” she wrote on September 14 . “we talked about this. so many times. i’m so mad, i’m so sad i don’t know what to do. you were my dearest friend. for so long. above anything else. i’m so sorry i couldn’t fix or take away your pain. i really wanted to. the kindest, sweetest soul with demons he never deserved. i hope you’re okay now. rest.”
Davidson, meanwhile, appeared on Late Night With Seth Meyers on Thursday to promote the premiere of SNL.
“That’ll be fun,” the actor said of West returning as the musical guest. “I’ve heard some pretty wild things and it sounds very exciting.”
Saturday Night Live season 44 premieres on NBC Saturday, September 29, at 11:30 p.m. ET.
